The history of the suburb of Adamsdown

View a map of Adamsdown from 1910

In mediaeval times, Adamsdown lay just outside the east walls of Cardiff. The lords of Glamorgan allowed the gatekeeper of Cardiff Castle to use the land. It is thought that the area in 'the downs' (extensive gently rising and falling plains) may take its name from Adam Kyngot, a porter at the castle in 1331. During the early 1800's there were only two buildings that dominated the majority of the area - Adamsdown Farm and Adamsdown House.

In 1832 a new prison was opened in Adamsdown (at the end of Adam Street) and in 1848, the Marquis of Bute provided two acres of land in Adamsdown for use as a public cemetery. In the 1870's Adamsdown House was demolished to make way for Adamsdown Square, and in 1884 the South Wales and Monmouthshire Infirmary (now the closed down Cardiff Royal Infirmary) was opened. The cemetery became a park in 1948, and many of the headstones were preserved and re-erected against the inside of the park walls.

A view of Adamsdown from the Black Bridge

In 1923 the hospital became the Cardiff Royal Infirmary and continued to provide an excellent inner-city service until it's closure in 1999, which was met with wide-spread protest. The first part of Adamsdown to be developed was Newtown, where many of the early Irish immigrants settled and the area soon gained the nickname 'Little Ireland'. By 1855 streets were being built on the land previously owned by nearby farmers. The only streets to survive the demolition of Newtown in the 1960's, were Adam Street and Tyndall Street.

Adamsdown is particularly famous for the batches of streets named after metals & precious stones (Gold, Copper, Topaz, Diamond), and names taken from astronomy, such as Star, Planet, Constellation and Eclipse. The borders of Adamsdown are easily defined by the railway (Splott to the South of the line) and Newport Road (Roath to the North of the road).

There used to be a Cattle Market and Slaughterhouse just off Constellation Street (where the large green area next to the railway line is now) which closed in the 1970's. The Great Eastern Hotel in Metal Street (closed in 2005) used to be one of the original farmhouses, possibly Upper Splott Farm.

The main shopping and commercial areas in Adamsdown are the excellent Clifton Street, and Broadway (which borders with Roath), although in 2009, Clifton Street forever lost some of it's most popular and long serving shops, including Woolworths, and the Cobwood Brothers hardware store. There are many churches in Adamsdown, but the most strikingly designed is St. Germans Church in Star Street, which was built in 1884.

The Art Department of UWIC (University of Wales Institute Cardiff) and the four star Macdonald Holland House Hotel stand on the site which used to belong to the first secondary school in Cardiff. The school was based in Howard Gardens but was destroyed in the 2nd World War.

Adamsdown is slowly but surely improving after years of neglect. As the City Centre begins to engulf the area, there is currently a neighbourhood regeneration scheme taking place, which will hopefully give the area a much needed facelift.

The Cemetery Park has been revamped, and a Multi Use Games Area has been installed which is proving to be very popular. In recent times, a number of public houses have been closed down, with the Moira Hotel being demolished in 2004, the Tredegar closing in 2005 and the Locomotive in 2006.

Although some of these pubs were considered to be a blight in the community, others will be sorely missed. There is currently a campaign to save one of Cardiff's oldest public houses, 'The Vulcan', on Adam Street, which is threatened with demolition. To help save the Vulcan, sign the petition.

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